Queen of Egypt
by ApprenticeMana
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER UP! Atem and Mana rule Egypt together but Atem usually does all the work. When he suddenly falls ill, Mana will have to step up to the plate and rule Egypt as well as protect it from any intruders. Can she do it? Atem/Mana
1. Chapter 1

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

**Author's Note: So yeah, I finally got my hands on a computer but it's not mine which means at times, updates will be slow. I'm just warning you guys before hand. Now enjoy the story!**

The air is very humid and the sun beams down on the civilians of Egypt. They are used to this weather and they proceed on doing their daily tasks as usual. So does two people in the courtyard of the royal palace. Their swords clack and make noises as they make contact with each other. A woman with brown spiky hair charges at her opponent with her sword held back. Her aquamarine eyes are narrowed in determination to get a good blow and her red cape flows behind her as she runs. The air goes against her brown, revealed legs because she is wearing a short, white pleated skirt and blouse. Her opponent with spiky, tri colored hair stands there waiting for her next attack. His sword is out toward her and his amethyst eyes are calm, showing no fear. A light breeze makes his blue cape blow slightly as he waits.

Once the woman is only inches apart, she swings the sword at him, only for it to be blocked with ease. Atem stares into her eyes as he continues to block her with his sword. "You still need a lot of work Mana," he says and pushes forward making her fall to the ground. She grunts as she makes contact with the ground before glaring up at him. She has gone through this training many times only to have the same outcome.

A short man wearing a purple hat approaches Atem with his hands behind his back. "Now, now. Don't you think you're being a little too hard on her my king?"

"Not at all Shimon."

Shimon shakes his head before turning his attention on Mana. "My queen, may I assist you with—?"

"No," she replies standing to her feet, dusting herself off and turning away.

"Are you sure? Are you hurt?"

"I am fine." And with that she walks back inside the palace leaving Shimon and Atem there by themselves. They watch as she leaves and don't start talking until she is completely inside. As the doors close Shimon looks Atem's way.

"I believe she's taking the defeat a little hard," he says.

"If I go easy on her all the time, then she'll never progress. She would just stay at her current level."

"She will get better soon enough. You were the same way," Shimon reminds him. "Just give her some time." Atem stays silent as he stares off into the distance, things on his mind as usual and Shimon smiles to himself. He reminds him of his father, the previous pharaoh in many ways. Sure they didn't look alike but their personalities were just about the same with some slight differences. 'Your father would be so proud if he were here today.' Quick footsteps bring them out of their thoughts and they both look toward the source. A small girl with black hair going down to her calves and slightly narrowed amethyst eyes runs toward them. She wears a short, white pleated skirt and a blouse that starts a little below her shoulders.

"Ah, the princess has grown up quite well over the years," Shimon remarks with a smile. "She looks a lot like you but takes after the queen the most."

"Yes," Atem replies as his daughter finally reaches him, hiding behind him, her hands clinging onto his long skirt. He looks back at her briefly before looking ahead to see one enraged priest known as Seto. His short, brown hair is revealed and he carries his hat in his hand as he approaches Atem and Shimon. "What can I do for you Seto?" Atem asks his cousin. Seto's cold eyes glare down at the girl hiding behind Atem before he gives his cousin direct eye contact.

"I demand to know what you are going to do with that daughter of yours," he says.

"Seto, do not talk to your king in that tone," Shimon warns him. "He may be your cousin, but you still have to treat him with respect."  
"It's alright Shimon," Atem assures him. He turns his attention back on Seto who still has the same face expression. "Now tell me what happened." Seto doesn't reply and only shows him his hat that is filled with mud and maybe something else telling by the stench.

"She did this!" He points to her and she only cowers more behind her father to hide from his rage. "Now what are going to do about this?"

"Do not worry. I will discipline my daughter for her actions."

"Let's get you cleaned up," says Shimon, leading Seto back inside.

The girl steps back from Atem as he turns around to her and he looks down at her with a serious gaze. "Do you wish to tell me why you decided to mess up Priest Seto's hat?"

"Because…" she says with her voice and her low.

"Because?" She continues to keep quiet and she looks down to her feet, clenching her fists at her sides. "Well Cairo?"

"It's just because."

"That's not a good enough answer for me."

"I thought it would be…funny," she replies finally and Atem stands there for a moment, not knowing how to reply to that response. Her mother is the one that would usually give her these talks. He rarely disciplines her or sees her because he is usually busy watching over Egypt.

"You will stay by my side for the rest of the day," Atem says making her eyes go wide as he says that. That's possibly one of the worst punishments she's had. To stand by him and do nothing all day will be very boring indeed. He walks forward toward the palace while she continues to stand there. "Maybe now you will think twice about doing such bad things. Come now. You are to stay at my side at all times." She reluctantly follows with a pout on her face and she folds her arms as she walks by him. Atem shakes his head and thinks, 'Just like her mother.'

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Atem gets into bed that night, lying next to Mana who is already in bed. He lies facing her and moves closer so that their faces are inches apart. Her eyes are closed yet he knows that she is still very much awake. He brushes her hair away from her face and she opens her eyes. "I can tell that you are still very much upset about earlier," he says, wrapping his arms around her waist and she does the same to him.

"It just seems like I'll never get better at sword combat."

"You of all people shouldn't say things like that. You were just like this when you were studying to become a magician. You started off weak, but the more you practiced the better you became."

"But dealing with swords just seems so much harder."

"Don't give up. You may need that one day. There may be a time where I won't be able to defend Egypt and you will have to take over."

Mana chuckles lightly, "Yeah right. You're always there to protect Egypt."

"But I won't be able to all the time. Understand that Mana…"Mana only shakes her head with disbelief and then kisses him on the forehead before closing her eyes.

"Like I said," she says before drifting off to sleep. "Never gonna happen."

Atem looks down at her before letting out a sigh. 'Oh but it will Mana. It will…'

**This was only an introduction of course and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Click the button and review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Cairo's head shoots up when she hears a familiar scream as she walks through the halls the next morning. She sprints down to her room, shutting the door and she leans on it, panting heavily. It is not long until she hears footprints coming toward her room and she bites her nail when there is a knock on the door.

"Open this door," commands Seto from the other side. He bangs on the door and growls when she refuses to let him in. Luckily for him, Atem is heading his way. He steps back from the door and turns toward his cousin, this time holding his shoe instead of his hat. "My king…" Atem stops in front of him and looks at the door he is standing in front of before placing a hand on his forehead and sighing with disbelief.

"Let me guess…she put it in your shoe this time," Atem predicts and Seto nods. "Leave this to me Seto. I shall take care of this once and for all." He turns to the door as Seto leaves and he knocks on it a couple of times, calling her name. The door slowly opens and Cairo stands there twiddling her fingers with her head down. Atem folds his arms and looks down at her. "So what's the reason this time?"

"Hehe…for…fun?" she replies, finally looking up at him.

He turns her back to her and at first, she thought that she was going to get away without a punishment. That is until he says, "You know the drill." She groans loudly before walking alongside him to the throne room. "You put this on yourself." As he and she approach the entrance of the throne room, the servants draw back the red curtains so that they may enter. The priests and all the other servants bow to the both of them in respect as they go to the throne. Atem takes his seat while his daughter stands beside his throne with a frown. The throne next to him is empty because Mana is currently practicing her magic and she doesn't need to be present in the throne room all time.

Shimon steps forward to all the other priests. "We shall now begin our training session. Prepare yourselves." As he says that, Priestess Isis' Millennium Necklace starts to glow, causing everyone's attention to go to her. "What is it Isis?" asks Shimon.

"We have an intruder here in the throne room," she replies. Mahad immediately stands guard in front of the pharaoh as well as keeping an eye out for any intruders. Cairo looks up to one of the upper levels and sees a person aiming a straw containing probably a poisoned dart at her.

'Finally, some action,' she thinks to herself. The grin she sends up to the intruder causes him to hesitate as he wonders why she is sending him this look. His question is soon answered when he falls over the second level against his will and he lands on the ground in front of everyone, causing the servants and dancers to run away in a panic.

"Guards, seize him!" orders Seto and Atem pulls Cairo close to him as the guards struggle to catch the intruder.

He pulls her close to his face so that he can whisper in her ear. "What have I told you about using your magic?" he whispers to her. She chuckles lightly in response. "I'll let it go this time but next time, control yourself understand?" She nods. The guards present the intruder up to Atem who stares down at him in disgust after he tried to attack his daughter.

"I sentence you to life in the dungeon for attempting to attack my daughter," Atem says with narrowed eyes. "Now get out of my sight before I give you an even worse sentence." The guards escort him out of the throne room and Atem leans back in his seat placing a hand on his forehead with a sigh. A couple of small pearls of sweat trickles down the side of his forehead and Cairo looks at him with worry.

"My king, you look exhausted. Let us take a break," suggests Shimon.

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Mana drops her wand and drops to her hands and knees, panting with exhaustion. The sweat drops from her face to the cold floor. 'I went a little overboard there,' she thinks to herself as she attempts to stand up but to no avail. This time she falls face down to the floor and she sighs.

"Your highness?" comes a voice and she lifts her head to see Mahad standing at the door way. Her cheeks slowly go red and she smiles trying to play off her embarrassment.

"Oh…hey Mahad. What's up?"

"The sky," he replies making her dim her eyes. His reply to that question is always the same. "Are you…alright your highness?"

"It's Mana when we're not in public Mahad," she says as he helps her to her feet. "It just feels so weird when you address me that way ya know?"

"I see."

"So seriously, what's up?"

"I believe I've already answered that question."  
"No, I mean what' going on? You look kind of stressed."

"That's actually the reason why I came here. I'm afraid you must come with me at once."

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Mana walks into a room with Mahad to see a couple of nurses working on Atem who is lying in bed. As she gets closer to the bed, she can see that he is sweating and panting. She crouches down to his bed and feels his forehead, causing his to open his eyes partially and he looks her way. She looks at him with concern as she strokes his hair. "Atem, what's wrong?" she asks, her hand sliding down to cup his cheek. Feeling too weak to answer, he slowly raises his hand to overlap hers.

"He has a very high fever and is also very exhausted," replies one of the nurses and Mana looks up at her, waiting for her to say more. "We can treat him, but it will take a while for him to recover. He must get as much rest as possible if he wants to make a full recovery."

The next day Atem wakes up, still feeling a little weak and fragile. But he doesn't let that stop him. He's the king of Egypt and that is an important duty and responsibility. He puts on his royal clothing and heads out the door only to be met by his daughter who has her head down with guilt. Atem sighs and shakes his head before grabbing her hand, leading her to the throne room. "When will you ever learn?" As they go to the throne room, Shimon blocks their path.

"My king, you shouldn't be up. You should be getting your rest," he says.

"I'm fine Shimon, now let me pass," Atem assures him.

"But my king, clearly you are in no condition to rule. I beg of you…please go back to your room and rest." Cairo moves her head from left to right as Atem and Shimon go back and forth. She could see that her father is getting annoyed by Shimon not letting him pass but she can also see that he is not in perfect health. Atem bangs one of his fists on the wall beside him, causing Shimon to jump slightly.

"For the last time, let me…" he trails off as his eyes start to roll to the back of his head and he starts toward the ground. Cairo tries desperately to hold him up because her hand is still in his grasp, but he is too heavy and she falls alongside him.

"Dad!" she cries, shaking him lightly.

"My king!" Shimon yells out and his servants immediately come out to help him to a room.

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Mana sits outside his room, holding her daughter in her arms as she sleeps. The door is cracked open and she can hear the conversation between the priests.

"_What are we going to do? He's in no condition to rule."  
"You're right._ _There's only one option."_

"_You mean…but she can't rule. She really doesn't have that much experience."  
"Then we'll train her. We have no choice…."_

Mana's eyes widen and her body suddenly goes numb. There's no doubt that they are talking about her. And if that's true, then she will have to rule Egypt until Atem recovers. 'Oh no…'

_Uh oh…What will happen next? Please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Seto goes to his room for the night and sets down his hat on the table near his bed. He takes off his stained shoes and puts them at the foot of his bed before sitting down, wearing no top and just a skirt like he always does when he goes to bed. He swings his feet on the bed, placing the covers over them and lastly he rests his head on the pillow. But a weird squishy sound makes him sit up with a puzzled look on his face. He looks back at the pillow and starts poking it continuously. With each poke comes the weird squishy noise. Slowly he lifts up the pillow and his eyes widen before narrowing as his face suddenly turns a boiling red. He grits his teeth and clenches his fist before yelling, "Cairo!"

Cairo turns over on her side on her bed and giggles before placing her blanket over head. 'Hehe…' In another bedroom, Atem groans loudly, placing a hand on his burning forehead, knowing what has occurred just now.

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Mana goes past the room that Atem is resting in the next day to find him still in bed trying to recover from his exhaustion and illness. She bows her head with a sigh but quickly lifts up her head when she feels someone place a hand on her shoulder. She turns around to see Mahad behind her. "Mahad…I'm not sure if I can do this. It's such a big responsibility."

"I know. But you signed up for this responsibility when you both got married. You should've expected that something like this would happen."

"I know, I know," she sighs and she looks over Atem again. "I just prayed that it wouldn't."

"Do not worry. You will be given training. You will be taught how to rule properly and how to defend yourself in combat. You cannot always rely on your monster and magic all the time."

"Yeah…so who's training me?"

"Priest Aknadin," he replies making her eyes go wide in shock and disbelief. "He will be a suitable trainer for you."

"Are you serious!? You can't! That guy is…creepy…" she mutters her last word.

"Even so, it is for your own good."

"Yeah right…" They stop their conversation when Seto storms past them, stomping his feet which each step. His eyes are enraged and his fists are clenched tightly at his sides. Mana raises an eyebrow and asks, "Rough night Seto?"

"Don't even get me started!" he exclaims back and Mana and Mahad look at each other with clueless looks before shrugging their shoulders.

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Mana walks out to the courtyard not wearing her royal clothing but instead a white pleated skirt and a strapless blouse along with a gold belt worn tightly around her waist containing a red ruby in the middle. Her head piece still remains on her head. She stops in the middle of the courtyard looking in all directions to find no one there…or so she thought. After waiting there for a while she shrugs and turns away. 'Maybe the old man for—'

"Rule number one: never turn your back on the enemy," comes a voice from all directions. She turns around and quickly dodges a kick and she stays crouched down as she looks up at the person that gave the attack. It is none other than Aknadin himself. Most of his face is covered by his hood but you can see his grey beard and the millennium eye as well as his real one. He glares down at her and she returns a blank stare. She has never seen him act this way before. She didn't even know that he had combating skills. It is like he has another side to him. "Stand," he commands and she slowly gets up to her feet, only to be nearly attacked again and she falls back.

"What was that for!?"

"You must be quick. Now stand!" he orders once again. She tries to stand up a lot quicker this time, only to be grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air. Her eyes widen and she looks at him with shock. This is definitely a different side to him. "If I were your actual enemy, you would already be dead." He drops her and she lands on her feet as he walks away.

"Hey! Where are you going? What about my training?"

"That was a test to see where you currently are. Our real training shall start tomorrow." Mana holds her neck, gasping for air as she watches him depart from her. She has a feeling that her training will be a lot harder and tense than today.

"How'd it go?" asks Mahad as they walk in the hallway.

"He nearly killed me on my first day," she replies making Mahad chuckle. "Are you sure it's such a great idea for him to train me? Geez, doesn't he know I'm a girl?"

"Mana, his training will be good for you. Do you think that any intruder will hesitate to fight you because you're a girl?"

"Man I thought Atem's training was hard. Speaking of him how is he? Any progress?"

Mahad shakes his head. "No. He's still much too weak. It'll take awhile for him to fully recover."

"Darn…"

"You should've expected this Mana. You are queen of Egypt anyway. You had to rule sometime."

"That's the thing. I didn't expect it," she says to herself. "Atem warned me but…"

"You're talking to yourself again," Mahad points out making her blush. "You'll be fine Mana, I know it. All you have to do is listen to the advice the priests and I give you and you'll be alright."

"You make it sound so easy."

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Cairo dashes into her father's room and closes the door silently so that she will not awaken him. There is no way Seto would even dare to come here because he would not want to disturb his king. She wipes her face which is moist from running before going over to her father's side. His chest rises up and down as he breathes calmly. He sleeps peacefully yet she still knows that he is still sick on the inside which makes her sad. Tears form in her eyes but she quickly wipes them away. She's never cried before and she isn't going to start now. Besides, she needs to be strong for her father. She closes her eyes and takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down.

Her eyes reopen when she feels a hand cupping her cheek and she stares into the eyes that resemble hers so greatly. "Cairo…"  
"Please tell me you're feeling better," she says.

"I'm still the same as yesterday. I feel very weak," he replies before looking into her reddened eyes. "Have you been crying?"

"No. Never."

"I assure you, I will be fine. Slowly but surely."

"I know." Atem grins weakly and she tilts her head to the side in question. "What?"

"You're sweating Cairo. What have you been doing?"

Cairo sweat drops and places a hand behind her head, chuckling nervously. "Nothing! Nothing!"

"You can't lie to me. Were you running away from Seto?" Cairo looks away with a dark aura appearing around her and he dims his eyes with a pearl of sweat going down the side of his head. "When will you ever learn?" (AN: Anime moment! Lol)

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Mana plops down to her bed on her stomach and sighs. She has a feeling tomorrow will be a very hard day for she will be receiving her real training. The training that she dreads the most is the training that she will be getting from Aknadin. That would be a lot of physical training but it shouldn't be that bad since she is already a little athletic as it is. She drops her head. 'Okay, okay. I've got to get myself together. Gotta prepare myself,' she says mentally before sighing heavily. 'Cuz it's gonna a _long_ day.'

_Otay! Another chapter done! If you didn't notice, Cairo is kind of the comic relief of the story. Till then, please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Mana's head drops for the fifth time as she drifts off to sleep, sitting on her throne in the throne room. Shimon hasn't noticed it yet because he is still lecturing. It isn't until she starts snoring when he actually takes notice. A sleep bubble is on her nose as she snores and it pops once he yells out her name. She looks around in alarm before her eyes set on him. "I'm sorry, were you still talking?"

"Indeed I was. It would be wise that you pay more attention to my lectures."

"Sure, sure," Mana says standing up and walking past him. "Excuse me; I have another lesson to attend." Shimon shakes his head as she leaves. If she refuses to listen to his lectures, than he fears that Egypt is in trouble.

Before going to her next lesson, she takes a visit to Atem's room first to see how he is doing at the moment. As she approaches his room, a doctor walks out. "Just the person I'm looking for," says the doctor.

"How is he?" Mana asks.

"The fever has gone down and he is making a lot of progress—a lot quicker than I expected," he explains to her and Mana smiles.

"So he's gonna be alright?"

"Yes but he still needs his rest," he tells her before leaving her alone. She places a hand on her chest and sighs in relief. That's the good news that she's wanted to hear. It's good to know that her husband will be okay although she knows that she will still need to carry on the responsibilities of the palace. She walks inside his room to see him awake and sitting up in bed wearing no top. His head is turned toward the window, a serious expression on his face.

"Hey," she says lightly but loud enough for him to turn his head and give her his attention. She stands at the doorway with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face, happy to see him in better shape. He motions for her to come to him and she obeys and sits at the edge of his bed when she finally reaches him. "I heard you're doing a lot better. Good for you."

"Yes, I feel better. I promise I'll be back on the throne just as soon as—"

"No. There's no need to rush."

"But I thought—" He is interrupted again when she places a finger on his lips.

"I know you're used to ruling but you need your rest. I can take over until you're fully healed. I am queen by the way. Ruling is apart of _my_ responsibility as well." Atem looks at her with surprise. All this time he thought that she would want him to make a fast recovery because she didn't want to rule Egypt by herself. But now he knows that he was wrong. He never expected to hear those words from her though. He is brought out of his thoughts when she waves a hand in front of his face. "You still there?"

"What?"

"I know I'm beautiful but wow, you were staring at me for quite a long time," she says jokingly with a grin and he chuckles.

"I was just thinking that's all."

"Careful. Think too hard and your head will explode," she chuckles.

"Very funny." Suddenly, from the open window, they hear a shriek. Mana shoots up from the bed and looks out the window and her face is filled with horror. Atem looks at her questionably. "Mana, what's going on?"

"Oh. My. Gosh." Atem slowly gets out of bed and makes his way toward the window to see for himself since Mana isn't answering him. What he sees gives him the same shocked expression as Mana. Outside the palace walls, the whole village is engulfed in flames. The thick smoke from the flames rises up into the air making the sky dark. Soldiers are already tending to the flames as they watch. "Who would do something like this?" Mana asks.

"Mana!" Mahad exclaims from the doorway and they both turn around. "We need you now!"

Mana goes toward the door and Atem attempts to follow until Mahad stops him. "My king, you need your rest."

"But I must—"

"Mana will be able to take care of this. Now get some rest." Atem reluctantly stays behind as Mana and Mahad proceed to helping out the people of Egypt.

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Mana and the rest of the priests walk down the streets. Some houses are burnt all the way to the ground while others still stand yet they are not safe to live in. People stand outside their homes crying and mourning the loss of their loved ones and the lives that they've worked so hard to build. Their whole world feels shattered from the attack.

"The damages are terrible," remarks Karim.

"Who could've done this?" asks Isis and Mana wonders the same but keeps quiet. One scene that nearly breaks her down is when she sees a small girl with short black hair and blue eyes kneeling at her demolished home with tears in her eyes.

"Mommy…daddy…" The girl sobs, making Mana drop to her knees, her eyes lowered. She sees so much of herself in the little girl. She remembers back when she was this girl's age and her village was attacked by intruders. Her house went up in flames and her she lost her parents in that fire. That's when she was found by Mahad and brought to the palace. Mahad approaches Mana from behind and kneels down to her at her side.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

"Mahad…why would somebody do something so…horrible?" Not even Mahad could give the answer to that question.

"I don't know. But we will find the person responsible for this and he will pay for what he's done." Mana looks ahead and in the distance she can see a black horse. Its owner has grey spiky hair and tan skin. She looks around to the others and nobody else seems to notice that he is there. When she looks back, he isn't there anymore.

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Mana walks back into Atem's room with sort of a dazed look on her face. The images of the girl continue to fill her head. Her shoulders are sort of hunched over and her mouth is slightly agape. She walks over to the bed and gets in, lying next to Atem who looks at her. "Mana…what's wrong? What did you see?"

"Just hold me…please…" she says in a slight whisper and he wraps his strong arms around her for comfort.

_Dream_

"_Mom? Dad?" a small Mana calls throughout her house. The house is silent yet she can still sense her parents' presence. She sees them in another room and smiles upon seeing them and they return the same expression. As she tries to approach them, flames suddenly shoot up in front of her, blocking her from getting to them. "Mom! Dad!" she yells. She can still see part of their faces and they still smile at her like nothing is wrong. The heat becomes unbearable and she backs up until she is out of the house. Once she leaves, the house collapses and she screams._

"_MOM! DAD!"_

_End Dream_

Mana shoots up in bed, panting heavily and a sick feeling overcomes her. She clutches her stomach as she thinks back on that day. It was just like any ordinary day. She was playing with some of the other villagers when the intruders came and started burning everything in their path.

The vision of her running into the burning building and seeing their dead bodies fills her head and she turns her head over to empty her stomach, remembering what everything looked like exactly. She starts sobbing uncontrollably, causing Atem to wake up beside her and he sits up.

"Mana."

"She lost her parents."  
"Who?"

"The girl I saw today. It just reminded me so much of my past and—" Tears stream down her eyes and she buries her face into her hands. Atem rubs her arm soothingly, placing his chin on her shoulder as she cries, not knowing what else to do."

_Kind of a sad ending to this chapter. Just to warn you guys, the next update will be kind of long. Please review._


	5. Chapter 5

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Mana stands across from Aknadin holding a sword in her hand while Aknadin does the same. There is a small breeze that blows through their clothes and hair. Even with the wind being in their face, they refuse to blink, keeping their focus on their opponent. She narrows her eyes and clenches her sword tighter in her hand. She sweats in anticipation as to what is going to happen. To her surprise, he smirks and suddenly dashes forward. Regaining her focus, she blocks his attack and pushes him off her. Then she proceeds on giving him an attack of her own, only for it to be blocked. They stand there with their swords pressed up against each other, staring into each other's eyes.

"You still have much to learn Mana."  
"Yeah? Like what?" she asks.

"Like this isn't the only thing I can do in this situation," he replies and he kicks her, causing her to stumble back and trip. She regains her balance with her back facing him. "Never turn your back on your opponent!" Mana's eyes widen and she feels tears form in her eyes as she feels something tear through her back. She lets out a cry as blood gushes out of her large wound and she falls to the ground on her face. Aknadin's eyes widen, knowing that he has gone too far and he rushes to her air and Mana bites back screams.

Aknadin looks to some guards nearby and orders, "Get her inside now!"

"Yes sir!"

Mana later finds herself lying on her stomach so that her injured back can heal. She has no top because it has been replaced by a wrap going around her upper body. She rests her hands on her arms that are on a pillow with her eyes low. 'I just can't lie here all day. I have to continue my training.' As she attempts to get up, a sharp pain goes through her back and she drops her head back on the pillow with a grimace. 'Okay…bad idea. But tomorrow, I got to get back on my feet…'

"You've got to rest," says Mahad to Atem, leading him back to his bed. "Your fever may have gone down, but you need a break from all of this responsibility."

"But I must. Ruling is _my_ responsibility."

"And Mana's as well," he reminds him as Atem sits down on his bed. Atem lowers his eyes and turns his head. "What is it?"

"Mahad, are you hiding something from me?"

Mahad's eyes widen in surprise and a drop of sweat slides down the side of his forehead. "What do you mean? I would never—"

"Is Mana alright?"

Mahad sighs. He doesn't like lying to Atem, but he made a promise to Mana that he wouldn't tell what happened to her. She didn't want him to worry about her. "She's perfectly fine my king. Now get some rest."

"If you say so."

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Cairo walks out to the horse stables carrying a wooden bucket in her hands. She keeps her eyes out for a certain someone as she goes on with her plan of playing one of her daily pranks. To her disappointment, her 'weapon' has been cleaned out for the day. Therefore she cannot put any of it in Seto's shoes, hat or under his pillow. She narrows her eyes and turns her head as Seto approaches her with a smirk and his arms folded across his chest.

"I had them cleaned earlier today."

"I see."

"So now you won't be able to prank me again," he says and she grins. "Now let's pay a visit to your father and tell him that you were at it again." She suddenly breaks off into a run and heads for one of the horses. "Stop!" She hops on one and starts galloping away and Seto soon follows on another horse.

Cairo smiles to herself as they go out into the desert and reach the Nile River. Seto finds himself standing across from her as she stands in front of the Nile. "Come here now. You're only making it worse on yourself." With a smirk, she does a back flip into the water and small ripples appear after she dives in. 'She can't stay in there forever,' Seto thinks to himself as he stares down into the water. But worry starts to overcome him when she does not come up for air. "Come out Cairo. I will only tell you once."

There is no reply, sending him into a panic. "Cairo?" Still no answer. "Oh no…Cairo!" he yells, diving into the water and searching frantically for her underneath. When he looks back to shore, he sees her sitting on the sand with her legs crossed and a big smirk on her face.

"I got you again," she says with a chuckle and he growls as he gets out. "Hehe, now you're all wet."

"Why must you do this to me everyday? You enjoy tormenting me."

"Aw, Seto. I just wanted you to lighten up and have some fun."

"What?"

"Well," she says standing up before continuing, "You're always so uptight. So I figured if I did all this stuff then…never mind…I can see it hasn't worked. You can take me back now," says Cairo looking away and Seto sighs.

"Actually…I have to say that this was on one of your best pranks yet," he compliments, causing her to lift her head with a smile and he returns the look. She's never seen him smile before. It was always that same cold look but now she is starting to see a different side to him. The smile soon fades and he turns serious. "Now let's get you—" Cairo looks up at him with a confused look as to why he's stopped before looking over to see a handful of unknown, masked people approaching them. He steps protectively in front of her and looks at them all.

"Leave us now. I'm warning you," says Seto.

"And what are you going to do about it? You're defenseless." It is at this moment that Seto realizes that he has forgotten the object that would let him summon duel monsters. One masked person outstretches his hand toward Seto and Cairo can see what is about to happen next. So she shoves Seto out of the way and gets hit by the powerful electric attack. She falls to her hands and knees and looks up as one of them approaches her.

"Cairo!" yells Seto before being suddenly knocked out by a person that is standing behind him, holding a rock. He falls to the sand as Cairo gets carried away.

_A lot going on in this chapter. Sorry for the long update but I warned you! Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

**Warning: This chapter has a sort of graphic fight scene involving Cairo. Although I've seen a lot worse on Dragon Ball Z (not owned by me).**

Atem's eyes open and he quickly sits up in bed after taking a nap. He looks over to the window where the sun is just setting before looking down and holding his chest. He breathes a long sigh and swings his feet out of bed, placing them on the cold ground. A strange feeling has suddenly overcome him. For some reason, he feels that he should check on his daughter so he starts heading to her room. He finds it empty. She is usually meditating in her room at sunset yet she isn't there. He had had a very disturbing dream about her and he is beginning to think that dream was some sort of vision. 'Cairo…'

Mahad walks down the hall and sees Atem standing at his daughter's room. He takes a deep breath before calling him and Atem turns his attention to him. "Yes Mahad? What is it?"

"I have terrible news. It pains me to say that Cairo has been kidnapped."

"What!?"

"Mahad!" Mana calls from afar as she walks toward them. Her blouse covers her bandages so Atem will not see. "Is it true?" Mana asks when she reaches them both. "Has she—"

"I'm afraid so."

"Oh no…" She quickly turns her back to them to hide her tears and she covers her mouth. She looks down with disbelief in her eyes. Her only daughter has been kidnapped. If she lost her…she just couldn't imagine life without her. Just thinking about it hurt. 'This can't be happening…'

"There is currently a search party looking for her now," Mahad informs them.

"Master Mahad!" yells a guard as he runs to them.

"What is it?"

He bows to the pharaoh and queen in respect before continuing. "We've found Seto. He must've been with the princess when she was kidnapped."

"Have you found Cairo?" Atem asks.

"No my king. We've—"

"Then what are you just standing here for!?" Atem yells, hitting the side of his fist against a wall. "Keep searching! Find her!"

"Y-Yes sir!" answers the guard before running off. Atem starts panting and he holds his chest, trying to catch his breath. Mana goes to his side and supports him by holding him up by the arm.

"Atem…"

"I will join the search party as well," says Mahad. "We _will_ find her."

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Cairo sits on a small chair in a cave with a bored expression on her face. She watches as the hooded guys play small games and commune with each other around a fire near the entrance of the cave. She rests her elbow on her leg and her chin in her hand and yawns loudly. The moon gives off a faint light on her location and she sighs before standing up, causing the hooded men to stop what they are doing and stand as well. 'It's time I put Mahad's training to good use.'

"Sit down," commands one of them and he walks over to her, preparing to grab her.

"I don't take orders from you," Cairo says with a smirk. She grabs one of his arms and twists it behind his back. The others start to assist as well and she kicks the man in her grasp to two of them, knocking them to the ground. Next, she elbows two that are coming from behind before slamming her knee into the stomach of one of them and he falls to the ground. Suddenly, she is grabbed from behind and lifted off her feet. She tries to kick out of his grasp but to no avail. He is way too strong for her.

"Let go of me!" she yells and with as much force as she can, she throws her head back into his face and he drops her as blood drips from his nose. She drops to the ground on her hands and knees and looks around as more start to surround her. "Curses…Guess I have no choice." A black wand with a gold sphere on top appears in her hand and it glows, causing them all to be blown back into the wall. She heads for the exit, only to be blocked by a bigger and stronger hooded man.

"Master wouldn't be so happy if I were to let you go," he says in a deep voice. "I've seen what you can do and I'm not holding back." Cairo grits her teeth as he grabs her by the head and hits her stomach hard with his knee, causing her to gag and pant. She drops to her knees, holding her stomach and gasping for air.

"Monster…" she says, glaring up at him.

"What's wrong? The first strong person you see and immediately you give up."

"I never give up."

"Good. That means that I can have more fun torturing the princess of Egypt." He grabs her by the back of her shirt and flings her up in the air. She shuts her eyes, knowing what is about to happen next and soon her back is once again met by his gigantic knee. She bites her lip to keep from screaming and showing her pain as she lands on the ground.

She is picked up once again and slammed into a hard wall before being punched continuously in multiple places. Blood spurts from her mouth when he hits a certain spot in her gut and he lets her drop to the ground.

"Had enough?"

She grins to his surprise. "Is that all you got?"

"What?"

"You…hit like a girl."

"You'll pay for that," he says and he lifts her up to eye level. "I'm gonna—" He is interrupted when she kicks him in the face and he stumbles back with her still in his grasp. "Why you little runt! How dare you!? Who do you think you are!?" He gasps when her eyes suddenly go black and she grins evilly.

"I am the princess of Egypt and I will not be defeated by the likes of you." A shadow appears from behind her and a tall figure with a wand appears. "Say hello to my ka." As the magician's wand glows brightly, a loud scream echoes throughout the desert.

Cairo pants heavily, barely standing on her feet and she looks toward the exit. 'Now to get back to the palace.'

"That was quite impressive little Cairo," says a voice and she looks around for the source. "Or should I say, _Princess_ Cairo."

"Show yourself." Out of the shadows appears a tall man with grey spiky hair going in all directions and tan skin. His blue eyes are dark and cold and he grins down at her. "Who are you?"

"Just call me Marik."

_Wow, Cairo's quite a fighter. Please review!_

_Author's Note: I feel like I've been using Bakura too much in my fics so I decided to switch it up. Just go with it._


	7. Chapter 7

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

The search for Cairo has gone on for days and there is still no sign of her. Although Atem and Mana never lost hope that their daughter was still out there and alive, others thought the opposite. There is no way that she can still be alive out there in the desert. No one could ever survive out there for so long. With Cairo not being around, Mana is finding it harder to rule. She just couldn't keep her focus when her daughter is missing. She would be in the throne room physically, but mentally she is thinking about her daughter, hoping that she is safe and alright.

"Your highness," says Shimon, snapping her out of her current thoughts. She looks to him and he shakes his head, knowing that she wasn't listening. "What are you going to do with him?" She looks to the man in chains with two guards standing on both sides of him so that he wouldn't try anything.

"Half a year of hard labor," she replies with the fling of her hand and the guards take him away. She leans her elbow on the armrest and rests her chin in the palm of her hand, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Mana, you must pay more attention. That man was a murderer and you gave him such a light sentence."

"How can I focus Shimon? My daughter is out there somewhere and…"

"But you must remain strong for your kingdom. The pharaoh had to learn the same when his father passed," he tells her but when he realizes that she is not listening to him, he stops. He turns to address the other priests and announces, "You are all dismissed for now." As soon as he says that, Mana leaves and immediately heads to Atem's room. He is standing looking out the window, his back turned to her until she calls his name. When he turns around, she rushes into his arms, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as she sobs.

"Atem…"

"I know Mana, I know," he says, rubbing her back soothingly. Mana hisses and they pull back slightly. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Mana says, pulling away to stand beside him. He looks at her questionably before turning again to look out the window. "Do you think she'll be found?"

"I'm sure she will. I know she will."

"I swear when I find out who kidnapped her…he's gonna pay."

Shimon walks through the halls going toward one of the exits of the palace so that he may walk in the courtyard to get some fresh air. The palace has been very stuffy these days and it's been awhile since he's taken a nice walk. He puts his hands behind his back and inhales the fresh afternoon air. His mind is finally at peace until he turns a corner and sees an unsuspected face. His eyes go wide and his mouth agape as he stares into those familiar amethyst eyes that resemble her father's. "P-Princess!?"

She stands tall with her hands dropped at her sides and her legs apart as she looks at him. He examines all the bruises and injuries on her body. One that really catches his eyes is the scar beginning at the bottom left side of her chin, reaching up to the edge of her bottom lip. "Shimon," she says in a hoarse voice.

"I must get you help at once!"

"But I'm fine Shimon. I don't need any help."

'She's as stubborn as her fa—' He suddenly falls back when Cairo's weight forces him down. She lies beside him, her face in the dirt and he sits up. "Guards! Get me some help immediately!"

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Atem and Mana look down as their daughter recovers from her injuries. She has multiple bandages wrapped around her arms, legs and forehead as well as her abdomen. Her chest moves up and down in a slow motion as she breathes calmly. Shimon walks up to them and looks at her as well.

"Once she wakes up, we may figure out who was behind that fire and her kidnapping," says Shimon.

"I'm just glad she's alright," says Mana, sitting down at her bedside, stroking her hair.

"Could you give us some alone time?" Atem asks.

"Of course my king," replies Shimon and he leaves, closing the door behind him. Mana clenches her fists and grits her teeth as anger boils up inside her. How dare anyone do this to her daughter? Whoever it was, she was going to make him or her pay.

"I'm going to kill whoever did this," says Mana. "I will burn him alive."

"Mana, you must calm down. I don't want you to lose control of your anger again," he says, remembering the last time she got mad like this. Usually when she loses control, so would her magic, causing everything around her to go haywire and he doesn't want that to happen. He wraps his arms around her in attempt to comfort her and it works out well. She groans lightly before pulling away. "Are you alright? Is something wrong with your back?"

"No, everything's fine."

"We should be getting our rest. It's getting late."

"I'll catch up with you," she tells him and he leaves. She looks back down to her daughter and breathes a sigh of relief. She is glad that her daughter is back where she belongs and she doesn't plan on ever losing her again.

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Mana wakes up the next morning and gasps at the position that she is in. Her bare back is facing Atem, exposing her scar. She tries to move but Atem's arms are wrapped tightly around her waist, preventing her to do so. She pulls her blanket up to her chest and pulls her knees close to her chest. 'I should've known that I couldn't hide it from him forever. But if he sees this then he'll think that I'm not ready to rule by myself.'

Soon he wakes up and he rests his chin on her shoulder, his eyes still closed as he tries to take in the last of his sleep. His cheek is pressed up against hers as he moves even closer and wraps his arms around her even tighter than before.

"Good morning Mana," he says with his eyes closed.

"Good morning."

"How did you sleep?" he asks, moving his lips toward hers until they finally meet. She moves her head up to return the kiss until air is finally needed and they pull away. He steals another kiss before opening his eyes and Mana smiles. Maybe he will get out of bed and she will be able to move so that he will not see her scar.

"Mana," he says, his face sliding down until his lips press against her back.

"Y-Yeah?"

"How long have you had this scar?" Her eyes widen. How did he know? Was it the first thing he saw when he woke up? That must be it. She was hoping that he wouldn't see. "Why have you been hiding it all this time?"

"I…just didn't want you to get worried that's all."

"Worried?"

"Well I thought that if you saw this then you would think that I wasn't ready to rule or defend Egypt by myself."

"Mana, I know that you are quite capable of ruling Egypt by yourself," he says sitting up and she sits up as well with the covers still up to her chest. "You may need a little more work on your combat skills, but other than that, you've been doing very well."

"You really think so?"

"I wouldn't lie."

"Heh…any chance that you will be stepping back up to the plate again?"

"Unfortunately not. They want me to be fully rested before I go back to the throne."

"Great."

"Don't worry. You're doing a fantastic job. But beware Mana. It seems that you have a big problem on your hands as far as this mystery person goes. Dealing with him may be dangerous."

"Yes, I am very aware of that. But I will do all that I can to protect Egypt from this evil."

Atem smiles. "That's what I like to hear."

_Phew, Cairo's back safe and sound and another chapter is done. Please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

This chapter centers around Cairo. It explains what happened to her.

_Cairo falls back and holds the side of her face as blood drips from the wound. She grits her teeth and slams her foot on the dirt a couple of times to try to overcome the unbearable pain. Her eyes go up to Marik who holds the small knife with a grin. Her blood still stains the blade. "Just think of that as something to remember me by," he says, crouching down to her and she looks at him fearlessly in the eyes although on the inside, she is very frightened at the sight of this man. But she doesn't want to show it. She was taught by her father to never show her fear towards her enemies. _

"_If you're going to kill me, then go ahead and let's get this over with," says Cairo._

"_In a hurry are we? Don't worry, that will soon come in time."_

"_What do you want with me?"_

"_Nothing really. Once I let you go and send you back, you will warn them of my coming."_

"_What?"_

"_I want them to be prepared. I want a real challenge once we go into battle."_

"_Battle? But why?"_

"_Once I take over the palace, I will rule!"_

"_Wait…that was you and your men that burned down the village wasn't it?"_

"_The one and only," he replies before picking her up by the shirt and throwing across to the exit of the cave. With her hand still covering her wound, she sits up glaring at him. "You should get going. You don't have much time." She slowly gets up with her eyes still focused on him just in case he would try anything funny. "Run along now princess. You're lucky I spared you. I could've sent them your dead, lifeless body instead." Cairo backs up slowly before breaking off into a run across the desert._

_The sand is making her harder to run and it kicks up with each step that she takes. The blood that was once dripping from her wound finally dries up as she runs toward her destination. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the palace in the distance and she keeps running as fast as her wobbly legs can take her. The last thing she remembers is meeting Shimon and falling forward onto him before blacking out, hearing her name being called multiple times._

Cairo wakes up and sits up in bed, looking around. She is in her bedroom with only bandages wrapped around her whole body like she is a mummy. Only her face, hands and feet are free. Her dirtied clothes lie in a pile on the floor. "I have to warn them," she says to herself and she runs out of her room. Her injuries sting with every movement that she makes but she knows that she must tell the news of Marik immediately. She turns a corner and sees Mahad walking down the hallway with her back turned to her.

"Mahad!" she calls and he turns around.

"Cairo! C-C-Cairo! Where are your clothes!?" he exclaims, turning his head away, seeing that she only has bandages covering the majority of her body but apparently not enough for Mahad. Cairo looks down before looking back up at him with a questionable look.

"Cairo?" she hears coming from behind her and she turns her head to see her father. He had come to their location after hearing all the yelling from Mahad. He sweat drops and shields his eyes after seeing her.

"_Ab_?"(Father)

"Cairo!" he yells, still shielding his eyes. Even with him being her father, he still finds the sight of her like that very weird. Maybe when she was a baby it was alright, but she's ten years old!

"What's wrong?"

"Where are you clothes young lady?" he asks, taking off his cape and wrapping it around her. "And what are you doing out of bed?"

"I have something very important to say." Atem looks around uncomfortably as servants go around doing their daily tasks.

"Before you say anything more, let's get you back to your room."

"Yes, that would probably be best," Mahad agrees, still looking away.

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Cairo sits on the middle of her bed with her father's cape still wrapped around her while Atem and Mahad stand at the foot of the bed as she explains what happened to her. Atem begins to get more enraged as she goes deeper and deeper into the story. To think that his daughter had to go through all of that. Just the thought of it was unbearable.

"He told me that we should prepare ourselves for battle. He didn't give an exact time as to when he is coming," Cairo tells them and Atem and Mahad look at each other.

"This doesn't sound good at all," says Mahad.

"Yes. Mahad, go warn Mana and the others." Mahad nods and Atem turns back to Cairo, who looks at him as if waiting for his next action. He walks over to the window and looks out over the village. "I may have to take over for Mana."

"You sure? I mean…are you sure you're in condition to—"

"I must Cairo. I don't want to put Mana in any danger."

Cairo lowers her eyes for a brief second before lifting them again. "I want to help fight too."

"No Cairo," he says, turning to look at her. Her hands are clenched and her eyes show determination to help him. "I will not allow it." He starts toward the exit but Cairo gets out of bed and uses the last of her strength to catch him at the door.

"But dad, I'm very good at combat you know that. You've seen me!"

"I said no." Cairo sighs heavily in frustration and turns her head away with narrowed eyes. Atem crouches down to her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. "You must understand…it is too dangerous."

"It's dangerous for you too. I'll be fine."

"You wouldn't stand a chance, not in your condition."

"I'll be…!" She trails off as her eyes roll back and she falls forward into his arms. Atem closes his eyes and shakes his head. His daughter could be so stubborn sometimes. But who is he kidding? He's just as stubborn as her. As many times as Shimon and Mahad have told him to stay in bed countless times, he's always disobeyed those orders. He lifts her up and gently places her down on her bed, tucking her in. He leans down and places a kiss on her forehead before standing up straight to see Mana standing in the doorway.

"Mana, we need to talk."

_End of another chapter. Oh, 'Ab' means father and I just decided to add just a little something different since I've seen other fics use the language like the word ma'at and etc. Did it for fun. ^-^ Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Slight Atem/Mana fluff

"You want to what?" Mana asks, not really taking in what she just heard. Maybe there is something wrong with her ears or something. She squints her eyes and turns her head slightly so she can hear a lot more clearly.

"I want to take over or at least assist you in ruling. I suppose you've heard the news?" Atem asks, standing across from Mana in the hallway.

"Yeah. There's a big battle coming up and we need to begin the preparations. But I still don't understand."

"You're going to need as much help as you can get. This battle sounds very serious and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh…" Mana says with her head turned and Atem looks at her with a questionable expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Well…I was just hoping that I could handle this on my own. Besides, how will you help during battle? You're still in no condition."

"I am in perfect condition," Atem says as they start toward the throne room. He tries to put on his best walk for Mana but it isn't working. He couldn't fool her. She can tell when he's at his best or when he's sick or down. She looks at him with a smile and shakes her head.

"Look at you Atem. You're sweating already and you've only taken a couple of steps. If you don't watch it, you'll be back in the same position as you were before." They stop at the entrance where the curtain is closed and they turn to look at each other. "I still want you to take it easy."

"Don't worry about me."  
"How can I not? You're always pushing yourself too hard."

"Like you do with your magic?" Mana sighs as Atem wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer to him, their faces inches apart from each other. "I promise I will not 'push' myself too hard."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Because you worry a lot."

"And I have a good reason for worrying so much too. Like I said, you're always pushing yourself and Cairo's always getting into some sort of trouble. I swear you two wear me out." Atem rolls his eyes before leaning forward and capturing her lips in a kiss. She growls in frustration, still into the kiss before she closes her eyes and kisses back.

"I mean it Atem," she says before being interrupted by another brief kiss and they finally pull back when they are out of breath. They stand side by side as the green curtains are finally drawn and they walk into the throne room. The servants and high priests are all bowed down in respect as they make their way to the throne. It is a little strange sitting next to Atem in the throne room. It is very, very rare for them to being sitting on the throne together. She would usually be practicing spells or mostly looking after Cairo since she doesn't want any servants watching over or raising her own daughter. Shimon signals them all to stand up again and they begin talking and planning on how to win the battle that is coming up.

"We must station our troops in numerous areas just in case Marik decides to send out any intruders," says Seto and Shimon nods in agreement.

"He's right my king. And it would also keep the villagers safe from any harm," he says.

"Mahad, you might want to prepare your magicians as well," says Mana. "I will assist you in preparing them."

"Yes, you're highness," replies Mahad making Mana shutter and feel uncomfortable on the inside. She is still not used to him calling her that. It just sounds weird to her but he seems to have gotten used to it quite quickly.

"And the rest of our troops need to be prepared as well," says Atem. "Seto, Karim, Aknadin and Shada, you will take care of that."

"Yes my king," they all reply.

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Mana exhales heavily after coming inside from practicing with the other magicians. To think that she used to be in their same position. But to her though, she still thinks that she is an apprentice to Mahad since she is still learning many things from him. She brushes her hair back as she goes past her daughter's room just to check on her for a split second. She is still sleeping peacefully to Mana's relief. Cairo's kidnapping had given her quite a scare. But she is just glad that she is safe and sound and back where she belongs.

She gasps slightly when she feels a pair of arms go around her waist but she soon relaxes when she realizes it is only Atem. She continues to walk to their room that night with him still attached to her. "Atem, you're going to make me trip and fall on my face."

"I won't let you fall. Don't you trust me?"

Mana chuckles and turns her face to him. "Of course I trust you," she says as he kisses her on the lips. They pull away when they finally reach their room.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, countless times," she replies as he kisses her again before she pulls back suddenly. "Atem, what if I catch your fever? Aren't you still a little sick?"

"You've kissed me plenty of times before this and you're still fine. Besides, my fever has gone away."

"Sure it has."

"We have a lot of preparing to do."

"I know. I've been training with Mahad and the other magicians all day. I just can't wait to lay my head on that comfy pillow."

"You can say that again," he agrees before kissing her again, this time deeper and more passionate than before. Mana wraps her arms around his neck and brings her closer to them as they continue. Still into the kiss, Atem opens the door to their room and she pulls back.

"Have I ever told you how much _I_ love you?" Mana asks him. Atem chuckles before closing the door with a smirk across his lips. Sure this night is going to be passionate, but after this, everything will have to be serious for there is a battle coming up.

Meanwhile, far out into the desert, Marik stands in front of his men with his arms folded. "You all are despicable! You all need more training! But we are done for the night! Now get out of my sight!" yells Marik before turning his back. 'It looks like the pharaoh and his kingdom have gotten luck and they have more time to train. Even so, I still plan to win my crown. They won't stand a chance once I'm done training my men.'

_Sigh, I am done with another chapter! Please review! Things are going to start getting intense in later chapters!_


	10. Chapter 10

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Mana sighs as she lies on her side of the bed on her stomach. One week of training has really worn her out mentally and physically. And now she is feeling sick in the stomach. It really feels like she has to throw up. There is a knock on her door and she replies with a mumbled, 'Come in,' before Mahad walks in. "Mana, why aren't you out helping me with the magicians' training?"

"Oh, sorry Mahad. I'll be…out in a moment," she replies, trying to hold in a gag.

Mahad frowns and looks down at her with concern. He can tell that something is wrong with her. "Are you sick?"

"Gee, what gave you that idea?" Mana asks sarcastically before she covers her mouth and gags for the second time. It feels like someone has set the inside of her stomach on fire. She curls up into a ball and groans as the pain in her stomach continues.

"I'm going to get a doctor." And with that Mahad leaves momentarily and comes back with a doctor at his side. Mahad watches as he examines her and his eyes widen when the doctor rushes to get a wooden bucket and she empties out her stomach before falling back on the bed. "What is wrong with her? Will she be alright?" asks Mahad with a worried look.

"Besides being sick, have you been feeling very fatigued lately?"

"Yeah."

"Your highness you have some of the symptoms. Fatigue, morning sickness; I believe you're pregnant," the doctor reveals and at the same time, Mana and Mahad's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets and their mouths go agape after hearing the shocking news. "Right now, it is best that you get some rest." The doctor soon leaves and once the door closes completely, Mahad rushes over to her bedside.

"I'm sorry Mana but…PREGNANT!?" Mahad yells, his eyes still wide.

"Shh…keep it down Mahad."

"But you're pregnant. I can't believe this."

"Yeah, okay, I'm not pregnant," Mana says, moving to rest on her side and she puts the covers over her head. Mahad shakes his head with a smile before turning to leave. "And Mahad? Don't you dare say a word to Atem."

"But don't you think he would like to know?"  
"Like I said, I'm not pregnant."

'She's in denial,' Mahad concludes in his head and he walks out to carry on his daily duties.

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The next day, Mana is feeling a lot better than before. Yesterday had been filled with frequent up chucking and many runs to the bathroom. But now she feels as good as new. She walks in the hallway with her long red cape flowing behind her as she walks. She meets up with Mahad who is waiting for her so that they can train the magicians.

"Are you feeling any better?" asks Mahad as they continue to walk.

"Yup. It was nothing serious although right now, I am sooo hungry," Mana groans, holding her stomach and she whimpers lightly while Mahad sweat drops at her behavior. Even with her being the queen, she hasn't changed a bit. Sure she has to be a lot more mature and responsible now that she has a child and she is the queen of Egypt, but at others times she would throw away that mature attitude and act like her old self which is up beat, bouncy and carefree.

"Are you sure you want to train?" Mahad asks.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well…it's because…you're…you know…"

Mana sighs heavily and whips her head over to look at him. "For the last time, I am _not_ pregnant!"

"But Mana, the doctor knows best."

"And I think I know my own body Mahad. I remember exactly how it feels to be pregnant and…it's just not the same feeling."

"I still think you should take it easy," he advises causing Mana to narrow her eyes at him before turning her head away. "Just in case."

"Alright I'll—" She is suddenly cut off when Mahad screams and she looks over to see Cairo on his back with a grin.

"Cairo! Don't scare me like that! I could've taken serious action if I thought you were an enemy!" Mahad scolds her and she only laughs, still remaining on his back as they walk.

"Why hello Cairo," greets Mana, "I see you're feeling a lot better."

"Yeah, I feel as good as new. So where are you two headed?"

"We are going outside to train the magicians for the upcoming battle."

Cairo's eyes lighten up and she clenches her fists with excitement. "Ah! Can I help?" Mana looks to Mahad for an answer and he nods, making Cairo even more excited.

"Go easy, but don't go too easy on them Cairo," says Mahad. "You are way above their level and they could use someone challenging to spar with. Just don't go too far."

"You got it."

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Atem and Shimon stand on the balcony of the palace, watching as Seto, Karim, Shada and Aknadin train the troops. They all stand in multiple straight lines taking orders from the priests. This has all been going on for a week now and Atem hopes that all of this training will give them a swift victory. He and his priests including Mana have gone through some training of their own as far as their ka. They have gone through multiple duels to prepare themselves.

"The soldiers are doing quite well, don't you think my king?" asks Shimon.

"Yes."

"Shall we see how the magicians are doing?" Atem nods.

Mana wipes some sweat off her forehead and walks over to where her daughter is to sit down and take a break after sparring with so many magicians. She usually wouldn't get tired this fast but right now she is feeling very exhausted. 'I'm not pregnant, I'm not pregnant, I am _not_ pregnant!' she keeps thinking to herself as she sits down.

"Tired already Mana? You still have one more magician to spar," says Mahad, pointing to a much smaller yet buff magician.

"Eh…let Cairo spar him," she says and Cairo jumps up from her seat with eagerness and goes to stand in front the small man who looks at her with a glare. Atem and Shimon are just reaching the sight and they go to sit next to Mana and Mahad to watch the fight between the two.

"Not to be rude Master Mahad, but can't I have a much worthier opponent?" asks the shorter man. Mahad puts his hand up for him to stop before signaling for them to start.

"You will do a mixture of magic and combat in this fight, now begin!" commands Mahad.

"I won't even need my magic," mutters the small man to himself and he starts to approach Cairo with a look of confidence. "Prepare to lose child." He dashes toward her, bringing his fist back, preparing to strike her with a hard punch. Cairo grins and once he brings his fist forward to attack, she immediately grabs it and brings his arm behind his back before pushing him down to his face and sitting on his back.

"Never underestimate your opponent Nile," warns Mahad and Nile growls in frustration.

"Nile, huh? Wow, we're both named after places in Egypt," says Cairo with a smile.

"Get off of me," he says and she obeys and jumps back to give herself room. His wooden wand appears in his hand and he points it at her. "Prepare yourself for my most powerful attack!" His wand begins to spark, sending Cairo and the others on the alert.

"Electricity," Mana says looking on.

"That spell is forbidden for my students to use because it is very dangerous and it causes a lot of damage," says Mahad. "Where did he learn that?"

"Come to think of it Mahad, isn't he one of the newer students? He came a week ago didn't he? Where did you say he came from?"

"He never gave an exact location. He just said that he lives out in the…desert…" Mahad says slowly and his eyes widen. "Cairo, look out!" Atem, Mana, Shimon and Mahad stand up as Nile sends out the attack. Cairo quickly whips out her wand and a shield appears around her and the attack bounces right back to him. Nile screams as he is electrocuted and he falls on the ground once the attack is done. Mana rushes to Cairo's side while the others go to the man lying on the ground.

"A spy?" Shimon asks.

"We can't let him escape. Hold him down in the dungeon and question him once he gets up," Atem commands. "If we let him go, he will tell all of our strategies to Marik and we can't let that happen. Let's just hope that there aren't any more around here."

_Whoa, a spy. Not good at all but at least that one didn't escape. Please review!_


	11. Chapter 11

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

Cairo wakes up to a scream late that night and she quickly sits up in bed. It is slightly dark in her room except for the full moon giving off a little light into her room. Swinging her feet out of bed, she places her bare feet firmly on the cold floor before running to the door of her bedroom. As soon as she pokes her head out, Seto walks quickly in front of her and continues down the hall. Wanting to know what all the commotion is about, she decides to run and catch up with him.

"Seto, what's going on? Who screamed?" she asks as she jogs to keep up with his quick pace. He does not answer and she studies his face, looking for one. Then she comes to a conclusion that he does not know either. They turn a corner and stop in their tracks to see Atem, Mana and the rest of the priests crowded around something.

"My ra," Seto says with shock, easily able to see over everyone's shoulders. Cairo, on the other hand, isn't so lucky since she is very short. The only thing she is hears is constant sobbing coming from what sounds like Priestess Isis. She looks to the people in the crowd to see who is missing.

'Dad, Mom, Shimon, Mahad, Aknadin…' she says in her head and she continues, 'Shada, Isis, Seto…who else?'

"Karim!" Isis cries out loud with her face buried in her hands. Mahad bends down to the motionless, cold body to take a pulse on the side of his neck. He waits for a while before bowing his head, making Isis cry even louder.

"He's gone my king," Mahad tells Atem. Cairo crouches down with her knees close and arms wrapped around them as she tries to see through the gaps between everyone. The remainder of her long, black hair scatters around her on the floor. She sees a puddle of blood and then a hand which belongs to Karim. She never really knew Karim nor talked to him. He was a very quiet priest and she would only glance his way whenever she had to be around her father on her punishments. It's no wonder why she couldn't figure out who the missing priest was. But by the expression on Isis' face, they must've been pretty close.

"Marik. He must've done this," Mana says. "But how could he have gotten past the guards?"

"That's a good question," says Atem as he watches one of the guards place a white sheet over Karim's body.

"This battle is coming up really soon. I can feel it," Mana predicts before looking over at Shada and Seto with a serious gaze. "Prepare our troops. They could attack any day now." Cairo quickly hides behind a large vase as the priests disperse and go on with preparing themselves for battle. The only two left are her parents and she listens closely to their conversation.

"I must prepare myself as well," says Atem. "I want you to look after our daughter when the battle begins."

"No."

"Mana, you are not fighting in this war. It's out of the question."  
"We've had this conversation many times Atem and you know what? I don't care what you say; I'm participating in this battle as well. Have you forgotten who I am? I am the Queen of Egypt and just like you, I must also protect Egypt from danger."

"You've given that speech so many times…"

"So why hasn't it set in yet?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt. Is that so wrong?"

"Atem…"

"What if none of us comes out alive? Who will Cairo have?" Cairo's eyes widen as she listens on. She moves her hair to drape of her left shoulder as she bites her nail. She's never imagined life without her parents. What if this battle actually did take them away? What would happen then?

"That won't happen," Mana assures him but she can tell that he is still not buying it. She wraps her arms around his neck and presses her forehead to his, looking him in the eyes. "You've always taught me to think positive and to believe that everything will turn out alright. Do you believe everything will be okay, Atem?"

"I do but…" he sighs and lowers his eyes from his gaze. "Your combat skills. How will you ever defend yourself?" He moves away and turns his back to her.

"Atem please. Let me show you what I can do. Then I'll prove to you that I am ready to fight in this battle and defend Egypt."

There is silence between them for awhile before Atem finally replies, "Alright," and Mana smiles.

"Thank you." She walks up beside him and they head outside while Cairo gets out of her hiding place and watches them leave. The thought of not having her parents around still lingers in her head. She slowly begins to walk back toward her room with her eyes low but she suddenly stops when she senses someone else's presence. She looks further down the hallway and sees someone running down in another direction. She looks to the door that person came from and grits her teeth.

'How'd he escape?' She runs toward the direction and turns the corner to find no one there and she narrows her eyes. 'Nile.'

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Shimon runs down the stairs leading to the dungeon and gasps at the sight. The bars to the cell that Nile was staying in were completely missing. Atem, Mana and the others soon join him. "He could've been our key of figuring out Marik's strategy. Now he's gone," says Mana clenching her fist.

"There's nothing we can do now but hope that our strategy will pay off," Mahad says looking down at her and she nods in agreement. After discussing it more, they head back upstairs with Atem being the last one up the stairs. He looks over to his side to see his daughter leaning back on the wall with her arms folded and her head turned from him.

"Cairo." She turns her head to him, her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. "What is it?"

"I'm frustrated he got away."

Atem raises an eyebrow with a smirk and ruffles her hair. "You just wanted to fight him more didn't you?" Her head lowers and he only smiles at her behavior but it soon drops when the whole palace begins to shake, putting them both on the alert.

"My king!" yells a guard. "He's here!" Atem immediately dashes toward the throne room where Seto, Aknadin and Isis are waiting.

"It's started my king," says Seto.

"Where's Mana?"

"She's gone."

"What do you mean gone?"

"She told us to stay back here and defend the palace and the villagers while she, Shada and Mahad go to the front lines," Isis tells him.

"What!?"

"This is not good," says Shimon, joining them in the throne. "From what Mahad has told me, not only is she putting herself in danger but the baby as well."

Atem's head quickly whips over to look at Shimon with his eyes wide. 'Baby!?'

_Atem finally knows about the baby. Definitely not one of the best ways to be told. Review please!_


	12. Chapter 12

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

"What did you just say?" Atem asks, making sure what he just heard from Shimon is right. Cairo enters the throne but out of everyone's gazes as she watches what's going on yet it is very hard for her to hear what is going on. Atem swallows a lump in his throat and holds his stomach, preparing for what Shimon has to say.

"The Queen is pregnant," repeats Shimon for the second time and as soon as he finishes saying his last word, Atem falls forward toward the ground, only to be caught by his cousin Seto who rolls his eyes. "My King! Are you alright!?" There is no answer.

"Couldn't you have waited?" asks Seto.

"He has a right to know Seto. But I never knew he would take it this way."

'What is going on?' Cairo asks herself looking on with a confused look. Atem stirs a little before opening his eyes and standing up straight with Seto's help. He exhales before regaining his composure. He still cannot believe what he just heard. Mana is pregnant? And most importantly, she's out there on the dangerous battlefield.

"I must help her," he says before feeling another rumble go throughout the palace. Banging noises from the other side of the sealed palace doors are heard and he narrows his eyes. Unfortunately before helping Mana, he has to deal with the problem here. "Prepare yourselves. It won't be long before they will finally be able to break in." He takes a moment for himself, distancing himself from the others. He closes his eyes and says a silent prayer in his head.

'Please…let Mana be alright…' He opens his eyes when he hears the familiar voice of his daughter and he sees her standing in front of him with her fists clenched tightly at her sides. He gets down on one knee and places a hand on her shoulder, looking her directly in the eyes. "Cairo, it is too dangerous for you to be here."

"It's too dangerous for me to be anywhere," she counters.

"Just stay close by me, alright?" She nods before he kisses her on the forehead and stands up facing the door which finally bursts open. 'It begins.'

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Mana, Mahad and Shada sit on their horses holding swords in their hands with many of their soldiers behind them waiting for their command. Mana is the only one not carrying a sword. Instead she is holding her wand which has never let her down in a fight and she knows it won't let her down now. They are out in the desert not too far from the palace. Marik's men stand hundreds of feet across from them. Some of his men have already attacked the palace and she has faith that Atem and the others can handle them. Mahad looks over at Mana with concern.

"Mana, are you sure you'll be alright? Your combating skills have improved greatly, but what about your condition?"

"I am certain that I am not pregnant Mahad," Mana replies, staring forward.

Mahad drops his head with a heavy sigh. 'How can she still be in denial even now?'

"Here they come," says Shada. Mahad looks over at Mana again. He is regretting even letting her out here. If she gets hurt, Atem would never forgive him. He makes a promise to himself to keep Mana safe at all times no matter what. He turns his attention back at the enemy side which is even closer than before.

Mana takes a deep breath and yells, "ATTACK!" In an instant, their soldiers rush out in front of them and start attacking the enemy side. Before Mana can order for her horse to go, Mahad stops her. "Yes Mahad?"

"Be careful out there."

She nods her head with a smirk. "I will. Now let's go."

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Atem pushes a man off of him and looks to the entrance of the palace which is blocked by more of Marik's men. He grits his teeth and growls in frustration. The more men there are, the longer it will take to get to Mana. Aknadin, Seto and the others fight as well with swords in their hands, defending themselves against the enemy. The whole throne room is just in complete chaos. There is blood and bodies on the floor and cries from many men going throughout the room.

"Watch out!" yells Cairo who sees a man about to attack her father from behind. She raises her wand, putting a protective shield around him before whacking the man on the back of his head, causing him to fall to the ground. "I'm worried about mom."  
"So am I. But there's no way I'm going to get to her anytime soon. There's just too many of them. Isn't there anything your magic can do to get rid of them?" Cairo turns her head away, biting a nail and beginning to look around nervously. "Well?" Atem asks again.

Her head whips back to look at him. "I can't. Too much energy and I might lose control."

"Then I guess I have no choice…" he says, slicing one guy. "…but to keep fighting until they're all gone."

"It's you!" yells a voice, causing Cairo to turn to the source. Her eyes widen before she grins at the familiar face.

"Nile," she says, recognizing the short man with short brown hair and muscular looking body.

"Ready to pick up from where we left off?"

"Gladly."

"And this time, I won't hold back."

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It seems like every time a man goes down, more would come in his place. There is a sea of men in the desert, dead and alive. The person Mana is looking for is Marik who is nowhere to be found. Is he even here period? Mahad rides up alongside Mana. He has a couple of blood stains on his clothing from the enemy's blood splashing on him. But as far as his and Mana's injuries, just a couple of scratches.

"Let's get rid of all of these goons first and then look for Marik," says Mahad. He outstretches his hand which starts to glow and Mana looks at him with shock.

"Mahad, that's very dangerous! It uses too much energy."

"Yes, but if we work together, we don't have to use much."

"Alright," she says with a nod and her wand materializes in her hand and she outstretches it to all of the men. Her wand glows along with Mahad's hand and suddenly a large force blows out toward all the men, knocking them out. Mana breathes a heavy sigh once the spell is done. Countless men lie motionless on the ground. But there is one sitting up on a horse on a hill that is not in the same state as the others. "That must be Marik."

"But why didn't the spell wipe him out as well?" asks Shada who joins them.

"I don't know, but let's defeat him once and for all," says Mahad and all three of their horses ride toward him. Marik begins to laugh evilly and they stop halfway, just in case he would try anything.

"This is the end for you Marik," says Mana with her eyes narrowed.

"That's what you think. You'll have to get past my men first."

"Look around. They've been defeated."

"Oh really?" Marik asks with a smirk. "Look again." He snaps his fingers and slowly, one by one, the men start to stand, their wounds healing and now they are as good as new. It's as if they haven't been attacked at all.

"What's going on?" Mahad asks as Marik starts to laugh again.

The same happens at the palace to everyone's surprise. Atem, Cairo, Isis, Shimon, Aknadin, Seto and the rest of their men stand close together with Cairo's force field around them, protecting them from the hundreds of men coming at them.

"They're coming back!" exclaims Isis.

"But how? We just defeated them!" Seto says.

"What do we do my king?" asks Shimon with worry and for the first time, Atem couldn't answer him because he doesn't know what to do either. He looks down at his daughter who struggles to keep the shield around them. He knows that he will have to come up with something quick before she reaches her limit.

'If we keep attacking them, they'll just keep coming back!'

"Dad…I can't…" Cairo pants, slouching over with her wand still clutched in her hand.

"Hang on Cairo!" He grits his teeth as the enemy starts banging their swords on the shield, trying to break through. 'What _can_ we do?'

_Well that's definitely not good won't you agree? Please review!_


	13. Chapter 13

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

"GAH!" Mana cries out as someone's sword slashes through her arm, causing her to lose her balance on her horse and she falls to the ground with a thud. Mahad and Shada glance her way and try to help her, but they have their hands full. She grimaces and holds her left arm which is gushing out with blood now. A small puddle forms where her arm lies. With her face facing the ground, she takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down and to get herself together. She isn't allowed too much time when she sees a couple of shadows form around her. Slowly she lifts up her head to see more of Marik's men ready to attack her at any second. She clenches her fists and shuts her eyes. 'I will not be defeated. Never!'

"STAY BACK!" she yells and her wand activates, causing a couple of dozen men to be blown back away from her, giving her room. She pants as she begins to stand and she slouches over slightly, still holding her injured arm. She looks up with disbelief as the men start to stand once again. "No…Why won't they stay down?" They all start to surround her with grins on their faces and Mana closes her eyes, preparing herself for the worse.

Atem cringes and holds his chest after feeling a sharp pain go through his heart. 'Mana…' Cairo drops her arms and the force field that was once around them disappears. Atem grips tightly the sword that is in his hand and narrows his eyes. There is really nothing else he can do now but continue to defend himself and hope that they will stay down for good. The fight seems endless. No matter what he and the others did, they would still come back for more. The enemy is as good as new while their energy drains with each attack they give and each attack inflicted on them. He growls in frustration and swipes his sword back at the person coming at him from behind although he knows that he will be back on his feet eventually. 'I don't know how much more of this I can take.'

Cairo pants heavily after dodging an attack. He stands in front of her with a grin on his face while she looks up at him with exhaustion showing on her face. She gasps when she feels someone pull her hair and raise her up, her feet leaving the floor. "Leave this one to me. We have some unfinished business,' says Nile continuing to hold her up. "Not so high and mighty, are we now?"

Cairo grins weakly and responds, "Nope," before kicking him where the sun don't shine. He drops her and goes down to the floor, curling up into a ball, groaning in pain.

Mana gasps desperately for air as one of Marik's men pins her to a rock with his hands tightly around her neck. Her eyes slowly scroll over to Marik who watches from a far and he laughs at seeing her go through so much pain and torture. "Release me!" Mana yells. "I'm warning you!" She gives the man a hard kick to his stomach and then to the face and he lets her go. She holds her throat, coughing a couple of times before groaning when more men approach her once again.

'I beat them, they come back for more. I kill them, they come back for more. How can I stop them?' She looks over to Marik who continues to laugh with his arms folded across his chest and her eyes widen. 'That's it! If I defeat Marik, they'll be defeated as well!' She starts toward Marik only for her path to be blocked. 'These guys are really starting to annoy me!' She charges at all of them, giving out punches, kicks and magical attacks to keep them down long enough so that she can reach Marik. Each attack leads her closer to her goal. That is until she is pulled back by her shirt by a rather huge man.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks her and her eyes widen with horror when she sees a punch coming her way. His fist makes contact with her face, sending her flying and she lands on the ground hard.

"My Queen!" yells Shada and he runs toward the large man with his sword in his hand. Shada swipes at him with his sword only to miss and be in the same state as Mana. The man slowly makes his way over to them and picks them both up by their heads, only to slam their faces together and drop them back to the ground.

Mana grimaces, holding her bloodied face. "C-Curse him…"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" the man asks, stomping his foot into her back, causing her to scream as he does this continuously while Shada looks helplessly.

The pain in Atem's chest becomes even stronger now and he grits his teeth, knowing that Mana is in danger at this very moment. 'Mana…I'm trying to get there as fast as I can…' He looks over to his daughter who isn't too far away. She breathes heavily, holding her side with one hand and her wand in the other.

"Cairo," he calls out to her and she immediately runs over to him to see what he wants. "You must use that spell."

"What? But dad, there's too much energy involved. I don't think I'd survive."

"But you will if I help you."

"Huh?"

"Everyone, take cover right now!" Atem yells out and the priests and the remainder of his men obey while he and his daughter stand on the platform, both holding onto Cairo's wand. Marik's men start to approach them slowly as if they were zombies. Atem narrows his eyes, waiting for the right moment to attack. "On my count…" Cairo nods her head slowly, waiting for her dad to signal her. "One…two…"

"Attack them now!" yells one of Marik's men.

"THREE!" Cairo's wand glows as she and her father let out a large battle cry and their enemies are all pushed back by an enormous force. Some knock into walls and others land on the ground with a loud thud. This leaves an open path for Atem to get through with ease but he will have to hurry before they get back up again. He darts through the doors and out to the stables to get a spare horse to ride to the desert.

'Mana…wait for me!'

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"GET AWAY!" yells Mahad who uses a spell to raise the man into the air and send him flying. He immediately goes to Mana's aid and helps her stand to her feet.

"Mahad…"

"Are you alright?" he asks with worry.

"I'm…fine…just…help me get…to Marik…please," she replies. Shada stands up beside Mahad and they look at each other before nodding.

"Be careful Mana," says Mahad and she nods at him.

"You too."

"Let's go Mahad," Shada says and they go all out with attacking the countless men to give Mana a clear path to Marik. Mana begins to walk slowly, her wand materializing in her hands as she does so. As she comes closer and closer to her destination, her walk becomes even faster. Marik's back is turned so maybe he will not see her approaching him.

'I only have one shot. I can't screw this up.' She breaks off into a run and her wand turns into a sword. "This is it!" she yells and she aims her sword, only for him to whip around with a sword in _his_ hand as well and he stabs her in the stomach, causing her eyes to go wide and for blood to spill out of her mouth. Mahad and Shada look over and yell her name as they see the sword go through her body.

"Nice try," says Marik.

Mana looks up at him and grins before stabbing him as well in the same place to his surprise. "Thank you," she says before the swords turns back into being her wand again. "Now be gone." With her wand still deep in his stomach, his whole body begins to glow.

"W-What's this!? NO!" he yells before feeling a magical blast go through his entire body. Shada and Mahad shield themselves from the blast and smoke from the attack. They wait for the smoke to disappear. The first thing they see is Mana's form as the smoke begins to clear.

"Mana!" Mahad yells. Soon enough, her whole body can be seen, but he is not expecting to see the huge hole in her stomach. "MANA!!" The men around them, as well as the palace begin to disappear after Marik's defeat to everyone's relief, especially Mana's.

She stands in the middle of the desert with a lazy smirk across her lips. She puts a hand to her stomach before lifting it up to her face to see blood covering her hand. That's when she looks down for the first time to see the damage. Her whole shirt is stained with blood. With a light chuckle, she drops her wand before falling face forward to the sand.

"The Queen!" yells Shada as and Mahad rush over to her. Mahad lifts her up into his arms and her eyes open partially.

"Mahad…I did it…"

"Mana…hang on…"

"I guess I…proved that…I…really am the…Queen of…" Her eyes slowly close before she can finish her sentence. Atem rides up on his horse to see an empty desert. In the distance, he can see Mahad and Shada surrounding Mana.

'Oh no…' He commands his horse to go to them so he can get a better look and to his horror, Mana is lying in Mahad's arms with a huge hole in her stomach, her body motionless. Mahad looks to him apologetically.

"I'm sorry my King…"

…_Please review…_


	14. Chapter 14

Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

A small fist slams hard into the concrete wall, surprisingly making a light crack. She grimaces and holds her hand, regretting even doing that. But she couldn't help it. She is so mad at this moment. Her mother is in a lot of pain and maybe she will even die. She pants heavily, trying to control her anger while her father watches her. He feels like doing the same thing, but he has to keep calm. If he gets worked up, that will make Cairo feel even worse.

"Darn him!" yells Cairo, hitting the wall again and she lets out a light cry.

"Stop it Cairo!" She is about to do it again when her arm is suddenly grabbed and she looks back to see her father standing there.

"Let go! No words can express how upset I am!"

"I know how you feel Cairo, but you must calm down."

She whips around to face him, the anger evident in her narrowed amethyst eyes. "How can I!? She's hurt dad! What if…what if I lose her?" He crouches down to her and cups one of her cheeks, looking her in the eyes.

"You won't. I promise."

"Your highness," comes a voice from behind and he turns his head to the source of the voice. One of the doctors stands outside of where Mana is. "You may see her now." Atem nods and kisses Cairo on the cheek before going inside. There are nurses walking past him with blood stained towels as well as her clothes. The covers are pulled up to her chest and she has bandages on her head and abdomen.

"How is she doctor? Will she be alright?" Atem asks with concern.

"A lot of people wouldn't survive from a blow like that. But fortunately, she will. She just needs to rest."

"And the baby?"

"Well my king…there's something you need to know about that."

"Go on."

"The Queen…well…she wasn't pregnant to begin with."

"What!?"

"Luckily she wasn't. The baby couldn't have survived something like that."  
"But I thought—"

"The doctor that analyzed her was a beginner. She had the similar symptoms of being pregnant, but it was actually a minor case of the stomach flu." Atem feels like falling out right now. But he manages to keep strong since the doctors already have their hands full with treating Mana. It is sort of a relief and a disappointment that she isn't pregnant. The relief is that because she wasn't pregnant, the baby didn't get hurt in the battle. But he was actually looking forward to having another child. He watches as the doctor leaves and he sighs.

"Oh well…" he says to himself. Momentarily, Mahad walks in to check on his dear friend. "Mahad."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes. She is going to be just fine."

"I overheard the last of your conversation. So she wasn't pregnant after all. She was right all along."

"What do you mean?"  
"I came in one day to find her sick so I got her examined by the doctor who told her that she was pregnant. But she always denied that saying, 'she knows her own body.' And she was right. And hear I thought that she was just in denial."

"I-I…told you…" comes Mana's weak voice and they turn to see her awake with a weak grin on her face as she looks at them. "I told you I wasn't pregnant."

"MyRa, Mana don't ever scare me like that again," Atem says as he walks over to her and sits down on the edge of her bed before capturing her lips. She smiles into the kiss before wrapping an arm around his neck and kissing back.

"You knew exactly what you were doing, didn't you Mana?" asks Mahad with his arms folded and she pulls back with a confused look.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You knew that if you got close enough to Marik, you could do your attack, even if it meant risking your life in the process."

Mana slowly sits up and gives him a blank stare before replying, "Actually, I wasn't planning on getting hurt, especially _stabbed_. I thought it would be a breeze. Heh, guess I was wrong huh?" She gives them a beaming smile as Atem and Mahad look at her in disbelief before anime falling on the ground.

Atem slowly gets up, wiping some sweat off his forehead with his eyes dimmed down. "Well, the important thing is that you're alright and Marik has been defeated, right Mahad?"

"Er…of course…" Mahad replies, still trying to recover from what Mana just said.

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYG

Later on that night, Atem joins Mana on her bed. He doesn't plan on being there long because she needs her rest. He lies on top of the covers facing her while she lies underneath them. She yawns before closing her eyes. "You're not going to fall asleep on me already are you?" asks Atem with a smirk.

"Nope. I'm just closing my eyes."

"Sounds more like sleeping to me."

"I am perfectly aware of everything going on while I'm sleeping thank _you_ very much."

"Well _excuse _me princess."

"That's queen to you."

Atem chuckles. "I still can't believe you're not pregnant."

"Eh…I'm relieved. Cairo's already a handful. I don't think I could deal with another one of her."

"Come on. It's not like you'd be raising our child by yourself. We're a team remember?" Mana nods with a smile with her eyes still closed. She tries shuffling a bit in bed, only to hiss from the pain in her stomach. "Your movement is limited because of that."

"Yeah, I know. So you really want another baby huh?"

"Well I'm not desperate for another. I guess I can wait until you're ready."

"Yeah, in another hundred years."

"Mana." She laughs and he only shakes his head with a smile.

"How do you think Cairo would react to having a younger sibling?"

"I already know. I asked her earlier today."

_Flashback_

"_Cairo, how would you feel if your mother had another baby?" asks Atem to Cairo who is leaning up against a wall with her arms folded across her chest. _

"_Another baby?" she asks again._

"_Yes. Would you mind?" Cairo dims her eyes and gives him a blank stare with her mouth slightly agape for a couple of seconds before walking away._

_End Flashback_

"She enjoys being the only child," says Atem and Mana nearly bursts out laughing after hearing her daughter's reaction. "I think she likes the attention."

"So I guess we won't have to be in too much of a rush. But whether she likes it or not, we will add another face to the family and she'll just have to learn to deal with it." Atem smiles before kissing her on the forehead.

"I'm really proud of you Mana."

"Thank you," she replies and she sighs. "It's too bad I won't be ruling with you for awhile."

"It's fine. Just leave that to me. You just focus on getting your rest." Soon after saying that, there is silence and he starts to hear her calm breathing. 'Well…okay,' Atem thinks in his head with a sweatdrop. He kisses her on the forehead before getting up and starting toward the door. He looks back at her one last time and smiles. 'I'm proud of you…Queen of Egypt…'

_I really hope you guys enjoyed this story and thanks to all who reviewed! As for another baby…you may see that in another story so stay tuned! Until then…bye-bye!_


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